How did you get on?

[103841]

One of the many joys of retirement is no longer being a slave to the alarm clock and mine is normally only used for an early raid on the estate for some tench fishing on a warm summer morning at dawn. But today I made an exception, I put it down to cabin fever, with a high tide expected at 07-30 and the promise of a lovely day I just had to get to the river sharpish and hopefully bag my favourite swim which doesn’t require struggling up and down a muddy perilous bank.

Getting up at 6-30am on a February morning and leaving a warm duvet behind isn’t fun and having to scrape ice off the windscreen in temperatures hovering around freezing made me wonder if I really wanted to do this, yes I did, that’s what I kept telling myself anyway.

On arrival at Grove Ferry just outside Canterbury with only one other angler present I was in luck and made a beeline for the user friendly swim. By the time I had setup the sun was burning off the mist and the day ahead looked promising.

Trotted a stick float in about 8ft of water and had a decent roach first cast, that turned out to be one of the best fish of the session with a number of smaller roach keeping me occupied for the next six hours.

For those interested I used a Matchpro ultralight coupled with an Abu 501, 3lb main line going through to a 20 hook on a 2lb length. Maggots used throughout.

Thoroughly enjoyed myself even though the landing net wasn’t required, a bag of small roach with one Rudd which you can just spot amongst the catch.

PS wore my Aldi bib and braces for the first time, toasty warm, just like my duvet infact.

 

[mikench]

I was up at 3.15 am I'll have you know!! Sadly no fishing involved!!! Lovely pics John!

 

[nottskev]

The river had dropped back down, so it was the Old Lake this afternoon, joined by a friend who hadn't been fishing for a couple of weeks. He'd been on holiday, so it wasn't a case for sympathy. The lake was looking quite spring-like, and it had warmed up a bit by lunchtime after another frosty start



I'd caught a few roach last time out on the mushy remains of some frozen tares, and it had reminded me not to neglect this excellent year round bait ( we used to believe hemp was a summer bait, too) and I had some freshly cooked ones today.




First put in with a tare, and the bait didn't reach the bottom, taken by a nice roach at mid-depth





But after a few similar fish, the roach got smaller and backed off a bit, but still, catching shy roach is an enjoyable game, and a sunny afternoon might not have been the best fishing conditions, but it made a welcome change. I caught best in the first and last hour; friend on the next peg caught best in the middle, and we ended up with similar nets

 

[108831]

Went to Bedford,a days waggler fishing,had 14 roach to 10ozs,3 dace,a skimmer,a roach/bream hybrid and a perch,at least a few bites to be had...

 

[The Runner]

First time out up here since early January, weather this morning was a bit nasty with a fresh wind driving along a persistent heavy drizzle, but had got my bait out of the freezer last night and anyway was intending to fish the station pier at Kyle of Lochalsh where if the weather gets too much you can hide in the waiting room (you're effectively fishing 5 yards past the end of the station platform).
Best laid plans etc... used to moan about moored boats on the GUC, how about moored ships ? One the length of the loading side of the pier and another the whole width of the front of it where you need to fish
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(pic taken on way home when weather was a bit more conducive..)
Didn't fancy breaking an ankle trying to fish from the reinforcement stones so carried on a few miles to Dornie on Loch Duich. Nice spot with a big rocky outcrop keeping off the worst of the wind and rain, set up beachcaster and a lure rod, beachcaster with a simple one hook rotten bottom rig as it looked like the seabed could be a bit rocky.
Very deep, 4oz lead took around 18 seconds to hit bottom even at 30-40 yards and about 20 further out. Snagged up first two chucks at 60 yards, came shorter and the bottom seemed cleaner, mackerel strip to start but no response so after an hour switched to a whole 4" squid on a 3/0. Five minutes later tip banged over hard twice and I missed it then no more activity at all. Kept an eye on the tip while I worked the drop off with various lures but no response to anything. At least the weather cleared so, looking right with Eilean Donan Castle in the background...
View attachment 6358
and left across to Letterfearn on the far shore
View attachment 6359
Finally about half an hour before high water the tip went again on half a squid resulting in a smallish pollack
View attachment 6360
followed next chuck by its twin, and that was that, three bites, two fish.

Rare thing for up here today, actually had another angler present, working his way along the rocks with a lure. He only had two small pollack as well.
Seems like the marks around Kyle and Dornie don't require the yomping and rock scrambling skills that many of Skye's better ones do. Apparently it can be good from the bridge at Dornie just past the castle but seeing this involves fishing from a narrowish pavement with the A87 right behind you, not sure how sensible this is....

 

[Pete Shears]

Yesterday was another trip to the upper Soar after chub - overcast & no frost,river had dropped about a foot,decent flow and colour - could not get a bite.Eventually had a brown trout of 10oz in the net and changing swims had me another of about 8oz.Kept moving upstream being followed by robins,a kestrel kept hovering over the scrub on the far bank and at one time six buzzards were circling together above me.I could not get another bite on flake,crust,or worm legered or under the float no matter how many swims were tried.Only one month to go . . .

 

[peter crabtree]

Since Saturday’s successful outing things have gone awry somewhat..
Sunday’s club do I blanked (along with others) on a normally fair canal pound. The fish were all up the top end pegs by a bridge, winner had 11lb+ of perch on the pole with whole lob.
Tuesdays old codgers was very similar (if not worse) on another usually productive pound. Winner again by a bridge with 8lb+ of perch and skimmers, I came joint second with just 3oz:8dr.

Today I wasn’t planning to go but the forecast looked so good I thought it too good to miss. Off down to West Drayton to a day ticket lake which Jerry and I used to fish for big roach.
I started fishing at 11am, waggler and maggot over hempy groundbait.

3 sail away bites missed in the first 30m, then nothing until 3pm when the roach switched on.

Coming and going in short bursts I caught quite a few.

 

[no-one in particular]

I'd caught a few roach last time out on the mushy remains of some frozen tares, and it had reminded me not to neglect this excellent year round bait ( we used to believe hemp was a summer bait, too) and I had some freshly cooked ones today.

First put in with a tare, and the bait didn't reach the bottom, taken by a nice roach at mid-depth
/QUOTE]

Just a by the by, bumped into an old Irish mate yesterday and we got talking fishing something he hadn't done for years but he knew a thing or two. Real old school stuff about wooden reels and cane rods etc- he mentioned his two best roach were 2lb 10oz and caught trotting tares with hemp.

 

[Another Dave]

Took whip with me down the river while walking dog. Spent 10 minutes fishing bread and caught one minnow. That is the end of the fishing report.

 

[103841]

Took whip with me down the river while walking dog. Spent 10 minutes fishing bread and caught one minnow. That is the end of the fishing report.

Minnowscule.

 

[peter crabtree]

Yet another mild and sunny day here and after a mate suggested we go to the chub swims on the GUC at Hemel I gladly opened the door and stepped out.

Started on waggler and single red maggot on a strong 22hook across by some bushes, I got many bites but just tiny gudgeon. Changed to a light punch rig and caught some small roach along with more gudgeon. It wasn’t long before I hooked a chub....

photo upload sites

 

[mikench]

Took whip with me down the river while walking dog. Spent 10 minutes fishing bread and caught one minnow. That is the end of the fishing report.

Short and sweet Dave! I wish I could manage a 10 minute fishing trip! I mean psychologically speaking!

 

[flightliner]

I've been fancying a perch or two of late and a local water some ten minutes from me seemed a good place to try so this morning in a white over frost I had a two rod feeder setup with junkied hair rigged lobworm as bait.
The feeder was plugged with molehill soil with dead red maggots and bits of lob .
All as free running as possible .
I also had a few prawns but only fed a few loose but not as bait just keeping lobs on the hooks.
It was a long long wait but finally at 4-45 the indicator jumped into life and I connected with a hard fighting fish that turned out to be a personal biggest but not before it snagged me before finally coming free and into my landing net!
The scales told me it was 3-15 -- delighted hardly described how I felt!
Ps, if Neil reads this he may want to add it to his big perch challenge list!

 

[Pete Shears]

Minus 3.5C this morning at 7.15 on the dam of a large reservoir and two other nutters were there before me,all of us pike fishing.A bit foggy right up in the shallows but the sun slowly broke through.Three deadbait rods were set up,time to sit back with a coffee and enjoy the sunshine.Large flock of 40+ lapwings flew up from the mudflats in the shallows and two buzzards starting to seek out thermals.Had a run about noon on the tail end of a big sardine and landed a pristine pike of about seven pounds,stunning colours as the water was gin clear.Packed up around 1.30pm,sun still shining and had to peel off several layers to avoid cooking in the car.

 

[103841]

I've been fancying a perch or two of late and a local water some ten minutes from me seemed a good place to try so this morning in a white over frost I had a two rod feeder setup with junkied hair rigged lobworm as bait.
The feeder was plugged with molehill soil with dead red maggots and bits of lob .
All as free running as possible .
I also had a few prawns but only fed a few loose but not as bait just keeping lobs on the hooks.
It was a long long wait but finally at 4-45 the indicator jumped into life and I connected with a hard fighting fish that turned out to be a personal biggest but not before it snagged me before finally coming free and into my landing net!
The scales told me it was 3-15 -- delighted hardly described how I felt!
Ps, if Neil reads this he may want to add it to his big perch challenge list!

Well done, that’s going to take some beating with just a short time to go in perch challenge.

 

[Another Dave]

Short and sweet Dave! I wish I could manage a 10 minute fishing trip! I mean psychologically speaking!

Lack of a better opportunity, mate. I forgot to add to my report that for the first time ever a robin perched on my rod while i was holding it.

 

[Another Dave]

Amazing perch s63, i bet that was a sight to behold.

 

[john step]

Well done Mick. Envious doesn't come close.:wh

 

[Neil Maidment]

A crisp and chilly morning on the Dorset Stour at the top end of Beat 2 at Throop yesterday. The river continues to drop very slowly and the colour that was present earlier in the week was almost disappearing before my eyes.

The thick mist also disappeared by around 10am, when I walked it the previous day it hung around until beyond midday.

But the aim of the session was simply to christen my two newly acquired centrepins.



Mission accomplished!

The early start turned out to be essential as the chub arrived early as well. They, or at least the better ones, disappeared along with the morning mist that heralded a very bright sun in a cloudless sky.

A few nice 4's and 5's obliged and I had sufficient time to set up both 'pins. The one somewhat bigger chub I weighed turned the scales to just short of 6lbs.





Very pleased with the results and I can confirm both 'pins work exceptionally well!

 

[103841]

This unseasonably lovely weather has gone to my head, after fishing the river a couple of days ago I really fancied a bit of whip fishing on a Stillwater. The estate doesn’t open for fishing til April so a trip to my local day ticket water Lavender Farm just three miles from home, handy as time was restricted with duties before and after a four hour session. Haven’t visited a day ticket water since joining clubs two years ago, the financial blow has now been softened with OAP rates.

Took corn, meat and pellets and fished a six metre whip with an elasticed top section knowing carp to double figures are resident in this lake.

The air may have warmed up but the water hasn’t and it was tough going with bites scarce, after four hours I managed to amass a dozen or so small Rudd, what looks like a brown goldfish and one small carp about 2lb but foulhooked which managed to stretch the elastic a bit.

Spring is a lovely season but I’d happily skip that if we could go Summer fishing anytime soon!

Had the lake more or less to myself.